Customer reviews for The Merchant of VeniceAvg. Customer Review
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

Incredible, Nov 01, 2010

reviewer: Priscilla from New York

Saw Al Pacino in Merchant of Venice Sat 30th Oct and he was incredible as Shylock. If you have a chance to see this play don't miss it - we were blown away and I'm not a big fan of shakespeare plays generally but this was spellbinding!

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9 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

Amazing!, Nov 29, 2010

reviewer: Janel from Reading, PA

November 28, started out as another day! We had
tickets to go see "The Merchant of Venice" and I
was hoping to go because lately I have been having
a few medical problems that we will not get into
right now but we arrived in NYC after my dear
friend took me and my mom to the Broadhurst
Theater. We arrived a little early so we stood
there for a few moments and decided what to do?
Because as many people know there are about a
billion things to do in NYC! So instead of leaving
we actually stood out front of the theater and we
waited for a few moments and a woman started
talking about Al Pacino and what type car he
arrives in and I said out of the blue "Oh I think
its a Black SUV!" and just as I said a small black
SUV came around the corner and stopped for a
moment, a security guard approached and instantly
my breathe felt like someone had taken it away! It
was him! Al Pacino, "The Godfather" "The Merchant
Of Venice" "And Justice for All!" The list goes
on! He actually drove himself to the theater and
he stopped and smiled at my mom and then me. A
swarm of people who stated they were waiting all
day came rushing towards him but instead he came
towards us. He is mild mannered, polite and wore
his sunglasses. He looks amazing and his security
guard stayed with him. He signed for a few people
and my mom Elizabeth (Betty) walked right up to
him and said I waited fifty six years to meet you
and he smiled and said thank you and signed my
"Godfather II" DVD from the boxed set and he
hugged and kissed her. I thought for once after
meeting so many people my mom was going to faint!
LOL I yelled Mr. Pacino I love you, your amazing
and he turned waved and smiled. He tossed his
sharpie he was using to sign photos to the crowd.
He went into the theater and said he would see us
in a bit! I felt like I was in shock! I grew up
watching Pacino, DeNiro and Brando! They are it!
The amazing ones!
We waited for a bit and the security guard said
they would let people in at 1:30 and we could get
something to eat or get a drink. Instead we took
in the sites and sounds that only New York City
could offer. The beautifully lit buildings. The
crowds of people waiting in the cold to see a
legend who many of us only see on television or a
DVD. We walked around and went to Sardis, my mom
told me stories about how she went there when she
was young and she loved it! We also went in
Carmine's and just stood on the streets of NY!
There is no place on earth like New York City! It
brings you to life! As we headed back to the
theater to get ready to see Al Pacino on stage.
All I kept thinking was I am going to watch
Michael Corleone perform on Broadway! It felt like
I was in a dream and waiting for someone to wake
me up! We all went into the theater and the staff
was very polite. They escorted everyone to their
seat and we waited a mer few moments and the first
act began. They received a rousing applause from a
rather good group of theater goers. Besides
Pacino, starring in the production was Lily Rabe,
David Harbour, Byron Jennings, Jesse L. Martin
(who was very good and full of energy!), Gerry
Bamman, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Christopher
Fitzgerald, Peter Francis James who was brilliant
on "OZ" in an unforgettable role and Isaiah
Johnson, Charles Kimbrough, Heather Lind, Seth
Numrich, Matthew Rauch and Richard Topol. Pacino
was on right from start of the production! His
genius and fire truly comes out! He becomes the
wonderful characters that are portrayed for him.
It was one of the great honors in my life, if not
thee greatest honor to see Mr. Pacino perform and
then have the chance to meet him and make my moms
dream happen after everything she has done for me.
She is a true fighter and makes you believe in
yourself. Mr. Pacino was amazing! Beyond talented
and brilliant! I will never forget that day and
thank you Mr. Pacino and the entire cast for
putting on a brilliant performance! I could not
walk for over ten years and my mom is a cancer
survivor and she had bilateral knee replacements
and helped me walk again after getting a total hip
replacement and she also had Achilles tendon
surgery. My mom is amazing and to see her so happy
meant the world to me!!! Much peace and thank
you, Janel Spiegel

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

AMAZING, Nov 11, 2010

reviewer: Joanna from Brooklyn, NY

I was mesmerized by the cast and the performance.
Seeing Al Pacino up close and in person, performing the way he did made me understand what an incredible actor is all about. I laughed, I cried, and the premium seat I had was worth very cent and more. BRAVO TO ALL CAST MEMBERS. PACINO IS A LEGEND!

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2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

A classic actor in a classic play, Nov 01, 2010

reviewer: George S from Athens, Greece

I liked the play a lot and especially Al Pacino, who compensated us for the money we gave, but also the rest of the cast of which the old fiance wannabe was great.
The classic Pacino outbursts where also exactly like I had thought and cherished.
Direction was great and based on nice quick changeovers which didnt take long so you couldn't get tired or distracted.

Ms Rabe was riveting and interesting as Portia in previews of
Merchant of Venice with Al Pacino. I wondered where this
young woman had come from.
An apple not far from the tree, apparently, since she is
indeed Semi-Tough.
http://www.nationalledger.com/artman/publish/article_2726358
02.shtml

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

peak theater experience of my life, Dec 10, 2010

reviewer: Anonymous from Anytown, AT 55555

I have seen many plays, and most DC Shakespeare Theater productions in the last 15 years, but I have never experienced such compelling theater as I did on my NYC trip to see the Merchant of Venice. The set and costumes were perfect, but what really set this production apart were the stunning performances. From the first scene in which Bassanio asks Antonio for money, I was riveted by the performances of David Harbor and Byron Jennings. I expected Al Pacino to deliver, but he gave one of the most complex performances of his career. He played Shylock with not only spite and rage, but also with the pain and weight of racism that drove his vengence. Mr. Pacino spoke of financial loss, but showed a father's emotional loss. Al Pacino, Lily Rabe, David Harbour, Byron Jennings, Marsha Blake, Heather Lind, Jesse L. Martin, and the rest of the cast were so compelling, that I wished I could also have watched each actor's reactions. I did not want to miss one moment of anyone's performance.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Amazing !!, Feb 06, 2011

reviewer: Kathy Zecchino from Sparta NJ USA

Attended a talk with Al Pacino at a college in NJ in October where he mentioned the play. A group of us decided we had to go! In speaking for everyone - it was amazing !!! Al was, what can you say, magnificient and was surrounded by incredible talent! WE LOVED IT !! Great job to all !!

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Performance was hit...theater was a bomb, Feb 22, 2011

reviewer: Gene from Doylestown, PA

Let me start by saying I loved the show. Pacino was great, Portia, Antonio and Bassanio were good, Gobbo was good, everyone else....a solid c....with the curve. Think I could have stood in and no one would have noticed. The only drawback to this (at 300 per ticket), was the theater. What a travisty. The poor management performance only rivaled by Pacino. They sell coffee, but don't offer milk, or non dairy, or sweet and low,...can live with that, but very Jersey esque. Then,,,,they ran out of water during the intermission. How do you run out of water bottles, the biggest markup profit item? If you are the manager of the theater reading this, and you still have a job when you read this...count your blessings. We attend the theater a lot, adn unfortunately, this is becomming the trend. Try not to lead this trend.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

BRAVO, May 05, 2011

reviewer: Josephine from Islip, New York

I was lucky to see The Merchant of Venice in Central Park back in July. What a Great performance from my Idol, Al Pacino. I then saw it again on New Years Day in the 4th row, at the Broadhurst Theater. Mr Pacino blew me away with his performance again. I did get to meet Al Pacino just before he went into the Theater. He was so shy and just smiled at me and raised his hand to his forehead to say Hello. I saw him again for the last performace, he signed my book....what an actor...I wish this play wins the Tony